New York, NY — Columbia finished last season ranked 11th and the Lions only plan to keep moving up the rankings. They recognize the challenge ahead of them, but with only losing one player to graduation and the addition of four first year players, this goal is attainable. Head coach Jacques Swanepoel welcomes former Trinity assistant Joanne Schickerling to the Lions’ coaching staff. According to Schickerling, “Columbia’s squash is a very exciting team to be a part of. Being a young team, we have huge potential to continue to grow and only climb higher in the rankings.” The team is planning a training trip to the Cayman Islands for winter break. The team will also remain heavily involved with StreetSquash, a program that provides squash coaching and academic mentoring to at-risk children in the nearby Harlem public schools.
2012-2013 SEASON RECAP
Season Record: 5-11
Final Ranking: 11
Team Championships: 3rd in the Kurtz Cup (B Division)
2013-2014 SEASON PREVIEW
Program Status: Varsity
Head Coach: Jacques Swanepoel
Returning Players from Team Championships: 1. Catherine Jenkins (2016); 2. Reyna Pacheco (2016); 3. Alisha Maity (2015); 4. Kate Calihan (2015); 5. Leah Barnet (2016); 6. Monica Stone (2014); 8. Skylar Dickey (2014); 9. Jenny Schroder (2014 – Scholar Athlete); 10. Diya Kumar (2016);
Graduated/Non-Returning Players from 2012-2013 Team Championships: 7. Katie Quan (2013 – Scholar Athlete; Academic All Ivy);
Additions to the 2013-2014 Roster: Grace Van Arkel (2017 -Haverford, PA – Episcopal Academy); Maya Patel (2017 – Phoenixville, PA – The Baldwin School); Colette Sultana (2017 – Malta, UK – Millfield School); Jamie Pawlik (2017 – Baltimore, MD – Bryn Mawr School);
Captains: Monica Stone, Skylar Dickey, and Kate Calihan
Team Goals: Continue to move up in the rankings and become a big contender in the top 10.
Key Matches: Williams, Middlebury, and Brown
To read other team previews, please visit the 2013-2014 College Squash Season Previews page.
